Alexa placed her Coach carry-on and purse on the conveyor belt to be scanned by airport security. She stepped through the frame of the metal detector and sighed, grateful that the small silver buckle on the belt in her jeans did not set the alarms off. The airport had a way of making people feel like criminals with those wands and she wasn’t in the mood to be searched.
She picked up her purse and bag as they rolled through the dangling plastic slats on the conveyor belt and turned to meet the others at the gate. With her eyes hidden behind the dark sunglasses, she hoped she gave off the impression that she wished to be left alone. She made no sign that she was aware of anyone except herself in her little world. The ache in her heart consumed her, making her think on little else and she knew it would be a long time before the pain went away.
Once she gathered up the strength to stop crying Alexa had tried to look at the situation from Darius’s perspective. It was then that she realized she should have handled matters differently. Darius was right, she should have told him about the promotion right away as they were trying to bring their lives together, not tear them apart. Now, he was out of her life and to her fear, for good.
His harsh words came to mind sending her back to the scene at the bed-and-breakfast. Upon Darius’s departure, Ms. Elmore came rushing to the door moments later to offer consolation. “Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked. Alex couldn’t even respond because she was broken. Although the older woman tried to convince her to stay the whole weekend, Alexa declined. She didn’t think her mind would be clear and ended up checking out that evening.
After paying for the room, Ms. Elmore saw her to the door. Although Alexa had just met her, she could sense a loving and compassionate nature from the older woman, which was what she needed.
“Don’t fret none, honey,” Ms. Elmore offered with a hug. “Although it may not look like it, God is in control.” She pointed to the sky.
“Thank you, Ms. Elmore,” Alexa murmured. When she pulled back, she placed the tickets to the show that she would be missing again into the older woman’s palm.
Before she realized it, Alexa was approaching gate twelve where her flight was headed to Chicago and onward to New York. Had the situation with Darius not occurred and everything was in order, Alexa would be exhilarated at the thought of fulfilling her destiny with Radiance, but today she was not feeling the whole project. One minute she was on top of the world. She had a dream career and was married to the one true love of her life and the next minute, the whole life she had dreamed about was now an illusion.
“Good morning, Alexa,” Tia said, interrupting her thoughts.
The airport was quiet at 5:30 in the morning. Alexa preferred the early flights and was accustomed to the early morning commuters shuffling along in their own worlds, trying to balance a cup of coffee while reading the Journal.
Alexa glanced up to see Tia Perez sitting there. “Hi, Tia.”
“Are you in disguise?” Tia asked, pointing to the dark glasses. The sun wasn’t even out yet.
“I’m fine. Just tired,” Alexa replied. She took a moment to slip the scarf from her sleek hair. However, the glasses remained, as she wanted to hide her tear-swollen eyes.
“I know the feeling. Morning flights just aren’t my thing, but I made an exception today. I’m excited about the magazine!”
“Yep, it’s finally here,”
Alexa replied, with a hint of cynicism. Tia gave her a questioning glance, which Alexa ignored. Instead, she retrieved a book from her bag. It was a romance by a hot new writer, Kim Louise. Alexa liked Louise’s style because she could identify with her resilient female protagonists. Her books typically centered on professional women with hurtful pasts where they triumphed. Her latest novel featured a character named Sabin Strong who was entwined in a delicate romantic situation. Alexa had started reading the novel the night before and was eager to pick up where she left off. She wasn’t in the mood for conversation and hoped that the others would sense this and leave her alone.
One by one the remainder of their group arrived and before Alexa knew it, they were being called to board the plane.
“So, son, how is your love life?”
Darius paused. His mother’s question was unexpected. It was just one week ago that he had shared his news of his situation with Alexa. The excitement that she displayed despite the fact that her son had eloped was surprising. She was thrilled that her son had reunited with his first love and looked forward to meeting her new daughter-in-law. Darius had planned on the two of them making a visit to Detroit for that purpose. Now he was embarrassed to tell her that the meeting would not take place after all.
“A mess,” he quietly replied.
“Why?” she gasped. “What happened since we last talked?”
The two were seated at the kitchen table eating homemade apple pie and drinking coffee.
Darius gulped and began recounting the events leading up to the trip to Kansas City. “I thought this time we got things right. I thought us getting married would mean Alexa would not take our love for granted again, but I guess I was wrong.”
His mother showed remarkable calm as she sat up in her seat positioning herself to lecture. “I know you are a grown man, but you can’t go around treating marriage like a light switch, son.”
“I love her and I wanted to prove it by going all the way. I just couldn’t have her going back to Denver without some kind of connection to me.”
She shook her head. “Son, it sounds like you married Alexa for selfish reasons.
“How can you say that?” he quickly replied. “She was being selfish by putting that job before us.”
“I know it sounds far-fetched, but trust me. I am a woman. I know these things. When a man asks a woman to marry him, it is serious. A proposal is something that all women long to hear and it’s not to be taken lightly. Maybe she wasn’t ready to get married and did it out of fear of losing you, who knows? I think you should have allowed things to progress naturally.”
“Mom, we already knew each other for nine years. I was just picking up where we left off.”
“Where you left off you were children,” she pointed out. “Now you are adults who have built lives separate from each other complete with jobs and other relationships. You must take that into consideration.”
Darius paused. He hadn’t thought of that. Sean was a presence in Alexa’s life after they were together. He remembered Alexa telling him how humiliating it was for her when Sean stood her up at the altar. That level of rejection could have long-term damaging effects on anyone.
“I guess I didn’t consider that.”
“Do you still love her?”
“Of course,” he blurted out. “But I can’t leave myself open like that again. I may be a man, but my feelings run deep, too.”
“Give her time. If her love for you is as strong as you say, then she’ll come back to you. Remember, real love doesn’t stray too far or too long before it comes back home.”
Darius studied the wise expression on his mother’s face. “Well, Mama, I’m not sitting around waiting for that to be the case. In June, I will be moving back to Detroit to start up that systems consultant business that Bryant and I have been talking about for years.”
“Oh, Darius, this is wonderful!” she exclaimed. She leaned over and hugged him. “I guess it’s time to make those plans a reality.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “With our business angle, technological skills, and knowledge of the industry, we believe that our business can be very successful. Bryant has a proposal with the city that looks very promising.”
Annie cupped his chin gently. “You know I’m proud of you, right?”
He nodded. “I know, I still can’t believe that everything is falling into place, but one thing. It worries me to leave you alone in the city.”
She quickly dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand. “Boy, shoot, there’s no need to worry. You’ve been a good son staying here in town with me for all these years. It’s time for you to get your own life together.”
“I know, but with Deidra moving to Texas I can’t stand the idea of you here all by yourself.”
“You won’t have to worry about me. I’ve actually been thinking about checking out Texas myself. Deidra asked me to move with her.” She sighed, and her eyes scanned the four corners of the room. “Since your daddy passed and now that you’ll be leaving, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Besides, it’s not like I will be leaving anyone behind.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do, Mama?” he asked. He knew how wild his younger sister could be. She was single, headstrong and loved to party.
“I know what you’re thinking, but your sister has settled down quite a bit. She got approved for a transfer with her job and is looking into buying a house. She’s going to need me there to help keep her on track,” she said. “Plus I’m kind of looking forward to some warmer weather.”
“Are you going to move out with Deidra?”
She nodded. “I wanted to talk to you first to get your opinion. I thought maybe you’d be interested in staying in the house, but since you’re moving to Detroit, maybe we could look at selling it.”
Darius glanced around the tiny kitchen. Though small and lacking the conveniences of modern appliances, the room would always be remembered for the love that was poured out to all who came there. His mother was the most hospitable person he knew and made everyone who visited feel like they were right at home.
The old steel-framed chair where his father always sat after coming home from a long day on the job remained in its regular spot behind the door. The brown vinyl covering was now cracked and chipping away. Darius could almost picture his father plopping down in it to remove his shoes like he frequently did. Although he was tired, he still found time to take on Darius’s active baby brother Eric who met him at the door each evening to climb into their father’s lap and fall asleep.
With a thoughtful sigh, Darius cleared his throat. He would miss the little house that his dad bought for his growing family back in the ’70s. The three-bedroom ranch home had provided the perfect shelter for his wife and their five children. When the neighborhood began to change in the ’70s and most of their neighbors headed for the suburbs, the Riverside family stayed true to their community. Initially, he couldn’t understand. But as he got older he respected his father for his decision to keep his family put. He owed his love for community activism to his father who would have been proud of the legacy that he passed on.
“I’ll contact a Realtor first thing tomorrow, Mama.”
Annie held her head slightly towards the ceiling with tear-filled eyes. “Jack, it’s time for us all to move on. This house has brought us so much joy, watching the children grow up and all. But now it’s gotten to be too much for me and I believe it’s time to pass this blessing on to another family.”
Darius reached across the table and gripped her hand in his. Although they didn’t have much, his parents had provided a stable, secure and loving environment for their children. Their teaching prepared them for the rough road of life that was ahead. Darius felt like he learned well. The only area he struggled in was relationships. Sure, they talked about the birds and the bees and how Darius was expected to treat a woman, but he never really discussed with his father about how much love could hurt. Yet, when he glanced over at his mother, he immediately understood why the subject never came up. His dad had married an angel and the question of pain in love never came up.